discussion How Do You Apply Thermal Compound?

[mo' power]

I would have to say that the x method is the best but pea is the easiest.

I have been told that that the X method provides less than ideal results. I then proceeded to use my google-fu to find out which application method works best for different types of coolers. Here is one of the best TIM application guides I could find which comes from benchmark reviews. They have a wealth of information and I consider their reviews to be of the same calibre as HWC reviews. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here they are.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1

 

[geokilla]

All depends on your cooler. HDT coolers perform best when you place strips of thermal compound in between the heatpipes. Normal flat base coolers perform best with the pea method.

 

[jcmaz]

All depends on your cooler. HDT coolers perform best when you place strips of thermal compound in between the heatpipes. Normal flat base coolers perform best with the pea method.

That's what i do to my HDT cooler.

 

[Smoothie]

Pea size is way too large, maybe about 1/3 of a pea size you should place in the center.

 

[patpond]

inchworm for me, :biggrin:

I forget where exactly I read this, but have heard that the heat from a CPU starts in the middle of the chip and spreads (mostly) up and down. So I put a thin stripe in the middle up and down (leave room at the top and bottom for expansion of paste). Now, I may be wrong, but it works for me :bleh: .

 

[cmge]

pea method and rotate the hsf 180 degrees

 

[m4Dm4xx]

Thank's for the benchmark link, some good info there unk:

I have always made an X out of 5 dot's, seem's to work well for me? Guess i should yank the cooler to see what contact patch is like?

 

[fenixsaint]

Yep, depends on the cooler + compound. HDT coolers work best with the double line technique. The pea or the X are good for square bases. Some compounds spread easier than others, thus requiring less tim. Best bet is to mount the HS, then take it off. Verify the coverage and adjust as necessary. Don't be a tightass, thermal compound is cheap.

 

[Jokester]

Used to spread it, now I mostly put a BB amount seems to be the same difference in temps.

 

[Slaughter]

I used to use a pea sized amount on the die of Socket A cpus, but when I moved to a current generation, I started to spread it. Don't know why.. but just wanted to ensure it had full coverage. Never an issue with it spilling over either.